Christopher Ogundowoie – Gloucester

May 2017: Judge Jamie Tabor QC jailed him for a total of 20 months and told him he faces deportation to Nigeria at the end of his sentence.

April 2017

How adults posing as a 14-year-old girl from Gloucester caught a predatory would-be child groomer

A 27-year-old child sex pervert was caught by adults posing as a 14-year-old Gloucester girl online, a court heard today.

Christopher Ogundowoie, of no fixed address, thought he was grooming the girl for sex during a long and detailed online conversation, Gloucester Crown Court was told.

But the girl he thought he was talking to did not exist, said prosecutor Janine Wood.

Appearing before the court via video link from remand prison, Ogundowoie pleaded guilty to attempting to arrange or facilitate the commission of a child sex offence between March 20 and 26 this year.

The charge said he was using social media including WhatsApp to contact the ‘girl’ with a view to having sexual contact with her.

Ogundowoie also admitted possessing a fake Nigerian passport between December 1 2015 and March 31 2017 with intent to put it to improper use.

Judge Jamie Tabor QC said: “This is a case where grown-ups were pretending on the internet to be a 14-year-old child. They engaged in text messages etc with the defendant and he thought he was dealing with a 14-year-old girl.

“The communication went on for quite a long time. The contents were pretty horrible.

“He has been charged with attempting to facilitate sexual contact because, of course, there was no 14-year-old girl.”

Regarding the passport case, he said: “It is not uncommon for people to come into this country and buy false passports so they can work here, which is what this man has done.”

He agreed to a defence request for an adjournment so that Ogundowoie can attend court in person for his sentencing.

Defence solicitor Sarah Jenkins said it would be easier for her to take instructions from him face to face rather than via video link because although his English is good it is heavily accented.

He had come to Britain with a legitimate passport, she said, but then had bought the fake one because it allowed him to get work.